DUINC DWI News
More Than 1300 Charged with DWI in North Carolina During Holiday
Operation Firecracker targeted drunk driving in NC during Fourth of July weekend.
North Carolina law enforcement agencies from across the state conducted a concentrated campaign against drunk driving during the extended Fourth of July weekend. Dubbed ‘Booze It & Lose It: Operation Firecracker’, the crackdown ran between June 29 and July 5 and netted 1,340 arrests for driving while intoxicated in North Carolina.
State and local officers conducted more than 4,800 sobriety checkpoints and engaged in saturation patrols. A total of 53,614 traffic and criminal violations were issued throughout the state. The three counties with the highest numbers of NC DWI arrests were: Mecklenburg (93), New Hanover (75) and Wake (66).
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Trooper Charged with North Carolina DWI
Highway Patrol officer sideswipes another vehicle in NC drunk driving incident.
A North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper has been fired following an incident of driving while intoxicated in the Winston-Salem area. Around 9:30 pm Sgt. C.D. Jones reportedly sideswiped an SUV while off-duty in his personal vehicle. Jones’ blood alcohol content measured .22%, nearly three times the legal limit for intoxicated driving. The occupants of the SUV were treated for minor injuries.
Jones, 48, had been with the North Carolina Highway Patrol since 1985, and was assigned to the Winston-Salem troop. The NC DWI incident is still under investigation.
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State Trooper Charged with North Carolina DWI
State Patrol Officer arrested for drunk driving in Durham.
The Durham Police Department arrested a state trooper for suspicion of driving while intoxicated in North Carolina last Friday afternoon. John C. Fogg was off duty and in his own vehicle when he was involved in a two car collision on the Durham Freeway.
Fogg reportedly registered a blood alcohol content of .17%, more than twice the legal limit for intoxication.
Fogg, 40, has been a state trooper since August 2007 and he is based out of Wilson County, about 80 miles east of Durham. Fogg has been relieved of duty pending an investigation.
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State Blocks Payments to DWI Attorney in NC Ticket Scheme
Quality of representation questioned by state office.
A North Carolina DWI defense attorney implicated in the ticket fixing scandal in Johnson County will not be paid for some of his services. The state Office for Indigent Defense Services said that Chad Lee, one of the four criminal defense lawyers whose clients benefitted from the illegal case dismissals, will be barred from payment. The office went on to clarify that payment will not be issued in all cases Lee was appointed to after April 13, citing an inability to provide "quality representation" with criminal charges being filed against the former county prosecutor.
The majority of cases dismissed in the ticket fixing scheme were represented by Attorney Lee.
The State Bar typically only takes action against an attorney after the legal process is completed. Like any other case, there is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Some wondered however whether Lee should be permitted to continue handling court appointed cases, given the criminal charges pending against him for his alleged role in the DWI ticket dismissals. Even other defense attorneys say the case against Lee could impair his credibility and thus his effectiveness in court.
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North Carolina DWI Ticket Fixing Scheme Uncovered
Much higher dismissal rate led to investigation.
A spike in the number of DWI case dismissals in one North Carolina county led to a review by the State Bureau of Investigation. Records show that 46% of the arrests for drunk driving in Johnston County were dismissed. The state average for DWI dismissals is 21%.
As a result of the investigation, six people, including a former county prosecutor and a former deputy court clerk, were indicted on charges of altering court records and using illegal dismissal forms to get a total of 37 cases dropped.
A District Attorney said a tracking system installed in October 2007 found cases scheduled for trial that had been dismissed months earlier. Of the 37 cases investigated by the SBI, 33 were for alcohol related offenses including driving while intoxicated in North Carolina. Most cases were dismissed on technicalities, such as tests not being completed or a witness not being available, though some were dropped without apparent reason. 70 dismissal forms signed by the Johnson County prosecutor were filed after she had left her position in September 2007. The court clerk was found to have deleted at least two cases from the court computer system.
The 70 dismissal forms were filed for cases involving just four criminal defense attorneys, including one former Johnson County prosecutor. It is not known if the defendants are aware that their cases were dismissed illegally.
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Contest to Make More NC DWI Arrests, Leads to Dismissal of Charges
Officers were given incentive to make more arrests for drunk driving in NC.
Members of the Guilford County Sheriff's Department were promised free meals for making the most arrests for NC DWI. In one traffic stop that led to an arrest for driving while intoxicated in North Carolina, the driver was a Greensboro Police Officer. An investigation by the officer's DWI defense lawyer into probable cause for the traffic stop led to the exposure of the incentive program.
While the sheriff's department denied there was a quota or a contest, a judge ruled that the incentive to make arrests was influential and it outweighed the court's role in determining the motorist's guilt or innocence. The case against the Greensboro officer was dismissed and later expunged from his record.
The free lunch incentive specifically targeted increased arrests for drunk driving in North Carolina, not general law enforcement or public safety. Whereas proponents for the contest claim the goal was reduce drunk driving, they refuse to acknowledge that any type of reward could lead to false charges being made against a driver so the arresting officer could win a prize.
It is not known how many officers were involved in the contest nor how long it was in place, though it is estimated that dozens of North Carolina DWI cases could be affected.
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Governor Announces Arrest Totals for North Carolina DWI
Gov. Mike Easley releases numbers from Halloween campaign against drunk driving in North Carolina.
North Carolina Governor Mike Easley announced the impact of the four-day Halloween ‘Booze It & Lose It’ campaign against motorists suspected of driving while intoxicated. State and local law enforcement agencies netted a total of 743 NC DWI arrests between October 30 and November 2.
As part of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, law enforcement officers conducted over 2,000 sobriety checkpoints and dedicated DWI patrols. The counties with the highest number of arrests for drunk driving in North Carolina were Pitt with 68 arrests, Wake with 41 and Mecklenburg with 31.
A total of 18,913 traffic and criminal citations were issued across the state during the campaign for seat belt violations, speeding, drugs possession and child safety violations. 112 fugitives were apprehended and 19 stolen cars were recovered.
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Police Start North Carolina DWI Campaign over Halloween Weekend
Five day effort over Halloween weekend aimed at reducing drunk driving in North Carolina.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have started a campaign to crackdown on drivers suspected of drunk driving in North Carolina. Called the ‘Halloween Booze It and Lose It’ campaign, the effort started Wednesday night with a four hour checkpoint. Between 11:00 pm and 3:00 am, police arrested three drunk drivers and issued 51 traffic citations.
The checkpoints will continue for a total of five days, and they will be scattered around the city.
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Police Officer Charged with North Carolina DWI in Raleigh
Trooper was speeding on motorcycle when charged with drunk driving in NC.
Christopher M. Harmon, a Raleigh police officer, was charged with driving while intoxicated in North Carolina after being pulled over for speeding. Harmon was riding a motorcycle shortly before 2:00 am when he was stopped for going 66 in a 45 mph zone.
The arresting officer noticed the strong presence of alcohol on Harmon’s breath and the arrest report said Harmon had glassy eyes and mumbled speech. A breath test revealed a blood alcohol level of .11%, well above the .08% legal limit for intoxication in North Carolina.
Harmon was charged with North Carolina DWI, speeding and operating a motorcycle without the proper license. He was booked at the Wake County jail and released with the written promise to appear in court next month. The Raleigh police department has not commented on the case.
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Police Chief Charged with North Carolina DWI
Navassa police chief arrested for driving while intoxicated in Brunswick County, North Carolina.
Navassa Police Chief Ricky Junior Thorpe was arrested for drunk driving in North Carolina after a single car accident in rural Brunswick County. Thorpe crossed the center line, struck a speed limit sign and ended up in a ditch while driving an unmarked patrol car.
A county sheriff's office trooper drove past the accident and radioed for a tow truck. Emergency Services then contacted the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Thorpe had left the scene before troopers arrived, though Thorpe was contacted and arrested at his nearby home. He was charged with driving while intoxicated around 4:45 am. A breath test showed a blood alcohol content of 0.27%, more than three times the legal limit for intoxication in North Carolina.
It is not known if Thorpe, 44, was on-duty at the time of the accident. The Navassa Town Council suspended him without pay, pending an investigation by town officials. In 2004, Thorpe was implicated in an embezzlement operation for diverting hundreds of dollars from a drug bust. He was prosecuted though he was required to enroll in additional law enforcement training for ethics and administrative issues.
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